Carpet-sweeper



(No Model.)

W. NEWBIGGING.

GARPET SWEEPER.

W I I N 525,610, Patented Sept, 4, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM NEWBIGGING, OF MILFORD, OHIO.

,CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,610, datedSeptember 4, 1894.

Application filed April 20,1894. Serial No. 508,310. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM NEWBIGGING, a citizen of the UnitedStates,and a resident ofMilford, in the county of Olermont and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Sweepers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to carpet sweepers.

Its principal objects are to adjust the brush automatically, to adaptthe device for sweeping all grades of carpets, or to the duty imposedupon the sweeper while it is in use, and also to provide an improvedmeans to free the receiving pans from dust.

The invention consists in the peculiar combination and arrangement ofparts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, hereinafter described,and particularly referred to in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are represented bysimilar reference letters Wherever they occur throughout the variousviews: Figure 1 is an end elevation of a carpet sweeper provided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of'thesame. Fig. 3 is a detailed view in horizontal section of one end of asweeper, taken through line m a: of Fig. 2.

Some of the parts are shown in section and others in plan view or edgeelevation.

The inclosing case, A, has ends, A, a short distance within each end ofthe case, and bridge trees, B, extending across the end of the case, thebridge trees and ends furnishing journal bearings for the drive wheels,0, and the inturned ends of the bail, D, upon which the brush shaft, E,is journaled. The drive wheels and end of the brush shaft are grooved inthe usual manner to receive the elastic band, F, which passes around thegrooves in the drive wheel and over the grooved end of the brush shaft,so as to exert downward pressure on the brush. G are the dustreceptacles which are journaled upon screws, g, passing through flangesupon the ends of the pans and into the ends, A, of the case.

p parts above described are the same as similar parts now in common usein carpet sweepers, and need not therefore be specifically described.

The means for retaining the dust pans in the closed position andthrowing them down -fly back -to the closed position.

to empty them of their contents will now be described. One end, A, ofthe case is perforated to receive a 'thimble, h, which serves as ajournal bearing for the short shaft, H. This shaft is provided, outsideof the case, with a wing nut, h, which is secured firmly upon the shaftto turn it in either direction. Upon the inner end of the shaft issecured a cross head, h which has inwardly projecting lugs, h to bearupon the arms of the spring I. The spring is coiled around the inner endof the shaft, H, and held in position upon it in any well known manner,the tension of the springs, I, bearing against the inward projections, hof the cross heads.

To one end of the pans, G, are secured standards, 9, consisting of awire, having its upper end turned into eyes, through which eyes the armsof the spring, I, pass. The springs normally hold the pans in the closedposition while the sweeper is in use.

To empty the pans, the wing nut or cross head, h, is turned a quarterrevolution in either direction. This throws the pan down to the positionshown in dotted line Fig. 2, and the pan being supported on the freeend. of the spring, the motion of turning it down would cause a rapidvibration of the pan, causing all the dust that has a tendency to adhereto it to drop out so soon as the wing nut is released from the fingers,and would When one pan is thrown open, the other is held to its positionby the spring and when released, both pans are held closed by the samemeans.

To automatically adjust the brush while the sweeper is in use, a plate,J, is secured upon each end, upon the bridge trees, B.

This plate is vertically slotted to pass the journal, d, of the bail,these journals projecting inwardly from the lower end of the bail, D.

The plate, J, has inturned flanged lugs,j, to pass over the top of thebridge tree. Similar inwardly inclined lugs, j, spring up from the partsj, to near the center of a V shaped or curved notch in the apex betweenthe inclines.

The bail, D, has an inwardly projecting stud, d, fitted with a frictionroll, 01 which bears upon the overlapping lugs of the plate, J. The topof the plate, J, serves as a fulcrum upon which the friction wheel, (1bears,

ICO

and it will be seen that by drawing down, the ournals of the roller willbe elevated, drawmg the brush shaft upwardly, and an upward movement ofthe handle would allow the brush shaft to drop down under the tension ofthe spring band, F. Thus the operator may, by elevating or lowering thehandle of the ball, when in use, bring the brush down wlth greater orless force upon the carpet. In sweeping some carpets, but little forceis requlred upon the brush, and if more is used than necessary, thecarpet is liable to be inured, while in others greater pressure isrequired. The operator can readily determine, by the feel of theimplement in use, whether more or less pressure is required, and canregulate it accordingly.

When the sweeper is laid aside, the handle is thrown to the verticalposition, the wheels, (1 taklng into the notch in the top of plate, J,and holding it in that position. This is found to be very convenient, asso long as the handle 1s in the vertical position, the sweeper 1s notllabl'e to move or the bail fall over, so that it may be placed away inany position without leaning the bail against the wall.

For durability the bridge trees are armed with the metal plate, J, butthis may be dispensed with if hard wood is used for the bridge trees.

Without limiting myself to specific details of construction, what Iclaim is 1. The combination of the sweeper case, having verticallyslotted ends set in from the case sides and top, the bridge trees alsoslotted vertically and secured to the case, the grooved drive wheelsjournaled between the case ends and bridge trees, the cylindrical brush,having its shaft ends grooved and axially perforated, said endsprojecting through the verticalslots in the case ends, the elastic bandspassing around the drive wheels and over the grooved ends of the brushshaft, the bail, having inwardly projecting studs upon each arm, thelower ones to pass through the vertical slots in the bridge trees toserve as ournals for the brush shaft, and the upper ones to bear uponthe bridge trees and serve as fulcrums, by which the brush may beelevated against the pressure of the spring bands for the purpose ofadjusting the brush shaft to the duty required while the sweeper is inuse, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a carpet sweeper, of the case, the grooved drivewheels j ournaled in the ends thereof, the cylindrical brush havingvertical play between the drive wheels, the elastic bands passing aroundthe drive wheels and over the brush shaft to exert a downward pressureon the brush while revolving the same when the drive wheels revolve, thebridge trees carrying fulcrum bearings, the bail'carrying journal pinsfor the brush shaft, and studs to project over the fulcrum bearings ofthe bridge trees, whereby the brush shaft may be elevated or lowered bythe depression or elevation of the bail while the machine is in use,substantially as shown and described.

3. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of the vertically slottedrecessed ends, A, the vertically slotted bridge trees; B, theslottedmetal plate, J, having flanges, j and j turned over the top edge of thebridge trees, the grooved drive wheels, C, journaled between the ends ofthe case and the bridge trees, the cylindrical brush having its shaftends axially perforated and extending through the vertical slots in thecase ends, elastic bands, F, passing around the drive wheels and overthe brush shaft ends, the bail, D, having journals, (1, to enter theends of the brush shaft, and the stud pins, d, secured in the bail, andan arm with friction wheels, (1 to bear upon the flanges of the plate,J, whereby the pressure is automatically adjusted to the duty required,by elevating or depressing the bail, while the sweeper is in use,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a carpet sweeper, of the case, the drive wheelsjournaled outside the case ends on opposite sides of the center, thecylindrical brush journaled centrally between the drive wheels, theelastic bands passing around the drive wheels and over the brush shaft,the dust receptacles pivoted between the case ends upon each side of thebrush and having upward projections, a rock shaft passing through one ofthe case ends, the cross arm secured upon said shaft and having inwardlyprojecting lugs, the spring centrally coiled around the rock shaft andhaving arms upon each side, pressed by the lugs upon the cross head, andtheir free ends engaging the projections of the dust receptacles,whereby the receptacle upon either side is thrown down and emptied byturning said cross shaft in either direction, substantially as shown anddescribed.

'5. The combination, in a carpet sweeper, of the case, the cylindricalbrush mounted to revolve centrally therein, the dust pans pivoted attheir upper inner ends to the case ends upon opposite sides of thebrush, and having upwardly projecting standards, the shaft, H, passingthrough the case ends, the wing nut, h, secured upon said shaft outsidethe case, the cross arm, h having lugs, h secured upon said shaft insideof the case end, and the spring, I, centrally coiled around the shaft,having its free ends. passing underneath the lugs, 77. of the crosshead, and through the standards secured to the dust pans, whereby themovement of the shaft throws either pan down independent of the other toempty it of its contents, substantially as'shown and described.

WILLIAM NEWBIGGING.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. DAVIS, GEO. J. MURRAY.

